The Northern Virginia Transportation Commission postponed making a decision Thursday night on whether Virginia should get representation on the Metro board.

The group, voting largely along party lines, deferred until September a resolution to "consider any possible change to Metro's Virginia's governance, including Commonwealth membership on the WMATA Board of Directors."

Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) has repeatedly asked the NVTC to give two of its four seats to Virginia. The seats are held by elected officials from Fairfax and Arlington counties and Alexandria.

Virginia officials have said that Virginia wants more accountability from Metro in the aftermath of last year's fatal Red Line crash, and they have noted that the state contributes more to Metro than jurisdictions in Northern Virginia.

The resolution was introduced by Thelma Drake, director of Virginia department of rail and public transportation. But members quickly moved to defer it to the NVTC's September meeting.

Virginia Transportation Secretary Sean Connaughton said later the state will keep working on the issue.

Meanwhile, Virginia did sign an agreement tonight with Metro's board of directors to match federal funding for safety improvements.